Drummer DAVE LOMBARDO was asked by Peer Pleasure about the point at which he realized SLAYER were onto something big, to which he replied (via Blabbermouth):
“I think once we signed with Rick Rubin, once the major label interest happened, that moment, I think that was a turning point.
“It was, like, ‘Wait, we’re doing something special. We’re gaining the attention of major companies, and managers as well.’
“It was this manager. [Q Prime co-founder] Cliff Burnstein shows up at Slayer’s rehearsal. And Cliff Burnstein was about to choose whether he wanted Metallica or Slayer.
“And that happened. He obviously chose Metallica. But there was a lot of interest [in Slayer] from people.
“Of course, we started playing bigger venues and traveling a lot more. So I think about that period was when everything just changed. We knew that we were on to something.”
